WordThink: Making You Think Twice About Your Vocabulary

If ever there’s a plentiful genre for iOS, surely it’s word games. They’re everywhere, and sometimes it seems like there’s simply no room left for innovation. Thankfully, developer Rudy Echeverria has found a niche in this tight market with WordThink, a welcome breath of fresh air in the AppStore.

Gameplay

The basic idea behind WordThink is refreshingly simple: You’re charged with producing as many words as you can in the time allotted. The more words you come up with, the higher your final score when the timer is done. Words are based on length, so don’t worry about brushing up on your “scrabble words”—a healthy vocabulary will do you just fine. The gameplay offers a lot of replay value, obviously, and the rapid nature of matches makes WordThink a quick and easy go-to when things are dull at the office.

WordThink offers two different game modes to keep things interesting. Classic mode has you producing as many words of a set length as you can before the timer is done, while Arcade mode sets the timer super low and has you racing for time bonuses by spelling words. It’s all very fun, and highly original, making for a fast-paced delight on the iPhone.

WordThink

Design

WordThink is very simply designed, making the app ideal for a quick boot-up and game in the queue. The app keeps menus simple by offering two large buttons for the specified game modes, and not a lot else. Before a game is started, a quick pop-up explains how the mode works, making in-app documentation simple and highly effective. Likewise, the game layout itself is clear and easy to handle as you race to type out words you haven’t used since high school.

However, there is no local score-storing here, which did bother me. Instead, scores are uploaded to an online leader board, and though a quick 3G connection makes this hardly an issue, it is bothersome. Though, I did appreciate how, after every game, the iPhone app provides a quick fact about the English language.

Overall Value and Fun

Beyond a doubt, Word Think is a highly engaging game with a unique concept. The iPhone app is appropriately priced at the dollar mark, making its simple and fun gameplay a great value. The app is well suited for a quick bout during the morning commute, or even a lengthy session to de-stress after work. Though the lack of local score-storing was slightly bothersome, and the simplistic design may feel too minimalist for some, WordThink is still a fantastic addition to any word gamer’s collection on the iPhone.

WordThink iPhone app requires iOS 3.2 or later and is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. A small expedite fee was paid by the developer to speed up the publication of this review.